Over 60s and Over 65s Home Internationals 2012

Dalnacraig, Dundee 29 June - 1 July

The 2012 Home Internationals took place on the new High School of Dundee pitches at Dalnacraig, Dundee. Teams from England, Scotland and Wales took part in round robin competitions in each age group. This was the fourth tournament in the series and the competition returned to Scotland for the first time since 2009, when it was held at Forthbank, Stirling.

This was the first time Wales had entered an Over 65s team in the competition; previously Scotland and England had battled it out alone for the trophy. The Home Internationals series began in Stirling in 2009, when England won the Linburn Trophy for Grand Masters for the first time, and also beat Scotland in the Great Grand Masters match. England Over 60s have won the Linburn Trophy each year since, and their Over 65s triumphed over Scotland in 2010 in Swansea and again in 2011 in Durham. The outcome in 2012 was no different, England winning both competitions. Wales were runners up in the Over 60s Grand Masters tournament and Scotland runners up in the Over 65s Great Grand Masters tournament.

Results

Friday 29 June

Saturday 30 June

Sunday 1 July

Over 65s England 7 Scotland 0

Over 60s Wales 3 Scotland 1

In an extra match on Sunday 1 July, the Home Scots Over 55s team beat England Over 60s 2-1.

Reports

Over 60s

Friday 29 June England 5 Wales 0

England Over 60s began their defence of the Linburn Trophy with an emphatic 5-0 win against Wales. There was nothing in it in the first fifteen minutes, Wales carving out more than one chance but failing to find the net. However it was England who took the lead with a well taken move at a short corner, converted by Bansal. Wales based their game on a man for man marking system which was effective until the Welsh tired, and in the second half their cohesion started to slip, allowing England to slot in a further four goals through Bansal, Stephenson, Marshall and Yardley. photographs (new window)

Saturday 30 June Scotland 0 England 6

The Over 60s match against the Auld Enemy,delayed by a torrential downpour, started promisingly for Scotland Over 60s, their starting 11 giving as good as they got in the first 20 minutes, with good movement and passing allowing them to put some pressure on the English defence. England's normal fluency and control were missing and they struggled to make any impression on a resolute Scottish defence. Substitutions broke the pattern and England began to exert more and more pressure, with Scotland now finding it impossible to pass the ball out of defence. The breakthrough for England came in the 28th minute when Yardley met an angled ball into the circle and put a fine shot into the bottom left hand corner of the Scottish net. It had been coming. 'Dogger' Banks scored the second from a well worked penalty corner just on half time and the half ended with England in command and two up. England's grip on the game carried on into the second half, two more penalty corner goals from Brogdon and Banks and a goal from open play by Yardley taking the game well away from the tiring Scots. To their credit, Scotland did not give up, pressing forward once more and beginning to find their passing game again, but the best they had to show for it was a series of stramashes in the England circle with the ball eventually being cleared by an English defender. With three minutes to go, Scotland were caught out once more by a quick English breakaway and Bansal was on hand to tap in from close range to leave the final score 6-0. England retain the Linburn Trophy irrespective of the result of the Scotland - Wales match on Sunday 1 July. photographs (new window)

Sunday 1 July Wales 3 Scotland 1

In the match to decide second place, Scotland started brightly and were a goal ahead after eight minutes through Peter Robertson. Wales were far from out of the game and their midfield gradually took command of the match, Tim Brothers levelling the scores in 20 minutes. While Scotland had a good deal of possession and pressed the Welsh defence, they created little in the way of clear cut chances and were always vulnerable to a break from the faster Wales midfield and front players. The Scottish midfield stopped operating as a unit and were very flat, ending up either camped in front of their defence or stranded upfield when an attack broke down. Phil Withers put Wales in the lead in 42 minutes and, though Scotland continued to mount attacks, winning a number of short corners, they never really looked like scoring, while the Welsh were a constant threat from breakaways. Ian Johnson was unlucky to have a scoring effort ruled out when umpire Dalgarno whistled for a free hit to Wales with Johnson through on goal, but Wales secured second place in the 68th minute when a two man Welsh breakaway with only keeper Pollard to beat left him with the simplest of tasks to walk the ball in the the Scottish net. photographs (new window)

Over 65s

Friday 29 June Over 65s Scotland 1 Wales 1

A depleted Welsh Over 65 side affected by weather related travel delays took on Scotland Over 65s in their first ever match in the Home Internationals. A number of the older Over 60s heped bulk out the bench and ended up playing most of the match. The Scots had most of the possession in the first half without ever threatening the Welsh goal, but Paddock was causing problems by picking the ball up in front of a flat Scottish back four, and found the net after a breakaway which left the Scottish defence flat footed. Scotland reorganised their defence and midfield and totally dominated the second half, but their well known inability to turn possession outside the 22 into goal attempts in the circle threatened to leave them scoreless once again. when the equaliser came, it was of the fortuitous variety, Margerison's bumped ball after a short corner somehow deceiving the keeper and eluding the defender on the line to leave the final score 1-1.

Saturday 30 June England 10 Wales 0

In the first match on Saturday 30 June, Wales Over 65s were on
the back foot from the start, losing a goal in the second minute to a Major shot from a short corner. Three minutes later, England again scored when Sheikh converted another penalty corner. Field goals from Wood and Sturridge before the midpoint of the half completed the scoring before half time. Wales consolidated and a packed defence kept out the eager England forwards for the rest of the half. As Wales tired, gaps began to appear and England exploited these to the full, running in six more goals. Wood ended up top scorer with five, Maylam and Hutchings supplying the other two goals in the second half. The Scotland-England match on the third day of the tournament will decide the final placings.

Sunday 1 July England 7 Scotland 0

A win for Scotland would have given them the trophy but in truth it was more a matter of keeping the score down against a well-organised, fit and fast England side who will be very hard to beat in the World Cup in Oxford. Scotland played five men across the midfield with McIntosh assigned to mark the England captain and playmaker Perryman, but England replied by packing their right hand side and mounting attack after attack on the Scottish defence. On the bright side, Scotland defended well at penalty corners and did not lose a goal from a set piece. The stalemate lasted for 17 minutes, Wood scoring the first of his two goals, and seven minutes later Hutchings completed the first half scoring with a well taken goal from one of his trademark pickup and swivel movements at the top of the circle. Scotland battled well to keep the score at that until half time but lack of fitness inevitably began to tell in the second half and Wood scored his second goal in 46 minutes, followed a second and third goal from Hutchings in 55 and 61 minutes, by which time the Scottish team had completely lost its shape in the middle of the park. Shiekh was presented with a chance he couldn't miss after a ball fired in towards Sturridge was deflected off Downie's stick as he tried to prevent the English player from reaching it, and the unmarked Shiekh had a simple tap in to make it six with four minutes left. Hutchings completed the scoring with his fourth goal in the final minute, but it was not enough to make him top England scorer - that accolade went to Wood whose seven goals in the tournament beat the five scored by Hutchings. Scotland had the consolation of taking second place in the competition on goal difference from Wales. photographs (new window)